157 Responses

As with all "Once in a Lifetime" things, when it's done there will be "Oh, why didn't we do that... moments.I thought it could have been fun to rig up an inverter and car battery so the lights could be on and the stereo blaring. And what a topping wheeze to have a dinner party in the moving house.

Ahem, by "superiority in age" you of course mean 2 years younger?Have you not heard the saying, "hell hath no fury like a woman whose age is revealed in public?" Methinks me dost protest too much...!!To change the subject, I think, as it turns out, most of us are dunners but owing to the peculiarities of the English language we didn't know it.......maybe except for Jen....

Finally, the publicity that is needed--albeit rather late in the day. Nevertheless, it is difficult to believe that Sutton and CERA hadn't heard of the Haywood's difficulties until today,Things can happen when there is urgency, It is 11.15pm and I can still hear the diggers out on Grey Street, laying the broadband cable that is passing by our house. Looks like they are going to work all through the night.

it is difficult to believe that Sutton and CERA hadn’t heard of the Haywood’s difficulties until today

St Rog rather shot hisself in the foot by saying the last time he (Cera?) had heard from David Haywood was in September last year. It is difficult to believe that Mr Sutton is not receiving near daily logs of media reports regarding Christchurch. If he's not, I'd be willing to chip and buy him a subscription.

Well done! we have great affection for this house, we were your tenants in 2008. Sad to see it go red, happy to come across this blog. Can you move the apple tree too? Or take a graft of it, best apples ever... Good luck

"There's only been about 50 people approaching us wanting to move their houses".

So one has managed to do it by share bloodymindedness (I mean that in a nice way), what about the other 49? Clearly bringing the camera helped get the message across.

It is a marvelous thing you have done, and hopefully it may genuinely help others now, but it makes me just a little incensed that it takes this kind of coverage to get action. It's Ok if we do nothing and act like arseholes as long as no one notices?

Is Roger serious that he was unaware that people were giving up tryiing to move their houses????

It's pretty hard to believe. But he looked genuinely moved. Who would not be? The initiative and hard work of David and Jen can't be ignored, and they've managed a real solution. There's nothing theoretical about it, no if-onlys that can be fobbed off. The house was moved and David's got a massive stack of paperwork to show what he went through to do it. The huge ocean of trouble has been navigated, and there is a New World on the other side, for those who wish to follow.

"There's only been about 50 people approaching us wanting to move their houses".

So one has managed to do it by share bloodymindedness (I mean that in a nice way), what about the other 49? Clearly bringing the camera helped get the message across.

Again, the knee-jerk denial of anything that can't be event managed. As national TV is the ultimate form of event management, it's refreshing to see Sutton in fawning amateur mode.

Meanwhile that sad urban myth about Sutton is still doing the rounds, the one that claims that he's repeatedly attempted to resign only to be blocked by Brownlee. People still want to believe, yet none of the believers can tell you just how Brownlee manages to do it.

I thought the reason the our Gerry took over the whole kaboodle was, expressly, to reduce unnecessary red tape, well that's what we were told. I suppose then ther must be some other reason for Mr. Blownree to be in charge of the pies.

Sutton on his hands...I noticed a great new interpretation of the CERA acronym in one of The Press comment threads yesterday... Carting Earthquake Rubble Away - and that really is all they seem to have any success at.

"We were never saying or even trying to imply that they needed to go out and sell their assets but they do have the capacity to raise cash against those assets ... Notwithstanding what [English] said, we are not forcing them to do anything. It's not our decision."

Brownlee wants us to drink the same Koolaid that Bill English is selling at his lemonade stall/garage sale....